"It mightn't need direct sunlight. Maybe just the warmth is enough." I paused. "At least no one was hurt. You controlled it that much; in the end, that's all that matters."
"But I almost didn't." His expression was bleak. "I'm scared to death it'll take me over, and I'll destroy everything and everyone I love."
I put my beer down, then knelt in front of him and took his hands in mine. "I promise you, Tao, we won't let this thing destroy you or anyone else. It hasn't won the fights, and it won't win the battle. We won't let it."
"I hope you're right." But his expression suggested he actually held very little hope himself.
I hesitated. "Maybe you should work at night for the time being. At least until you're more confident of your ability to control the elemental."
"Yeah." He tugged his hands free from mine and pulled me close. For several minutes he did nothing more than hug me—it almost felt like he was attempting to hold on to his own humanity by hanging on to mine. Gradually, the heat in him began to dissipate, until his body temperature was only a little above what would be considered normal for a werewolf.
Only then did the tension in him subside.
He released me and said, "Looks like we've both got an unintended night off."
I forced a smile and sat back on my heels. "I guess the fire did have one benefit, then."
"I guess it did." He scrubbed a hand across his stubbly chin, the sound like sandpaper against a wall. "I might take myself down to the Blue Moon and lose a couple hours."
And the ghosts of fear, I suspected. They were ghosts I knew all too well, because they were inside me, too. "I'll ring Ilianna and update her."
"Oh fuck, I forgot—"
"Don't worry," I cut in quickly, as the air temperature suddenly spiked. The elemental might be down, but it wasn't yet out. He needed to keep calm. "I'll take care of it. Just go have some fun and relax."
"I will." He rose and kissed the top of my head. "Thanks."
I caught my bottom lip with my teeth as I watched him walk out. Because I knew, despite my promises, that there was no guarantee he would win this battle. He had to find the strength within himself—none of us could do that for him, and certainly there was no magic or potion that would work in this sort of situation. Lord only knew, Ilianna and the Brindle witches had tried hard enough to find one.